Green Eyed Shadows
by SunraeK
Summary: James is a teacher at Hogwarts and a member of the Order. Lily is Head Girl and hangs with the Slytherins. There's no way the two can get together, right?
1. Chapter 1

Green Eyed Shadows

The Magical World

Notice: you don't really need to read this chapter unless you want to.

The truth is, we know very little about the magical world. Oh sure, there's J.K. Rowling, whom most would say knows all there is to know about it, but the truth is that there are many mysteries us muggles cannot comprehend. We know about their government, their schooling, their entertainment… The list goes on and on. But still, there are things we may never realize that is involved.

This would be the perfect time for me to unleash my wisdom and speak of all those things, but I'm not that smart. In fact, even the smartest witches and wizards may not even know the answers we non-magic folk seek. So I'll move on to a different topic that this story is taken place in.

Blood. Pureblood, half-blood, mudblood—three completely different things, yet all very much the same. I'm sure all of you understand the blood concepts. Pureblood is when you are a descendant from an all-magical line. Half-bloods are those who have one magical parent and one non-magical parent; it's also when one of your parents is of non-magic descent, but is magic and the other is a pureblood. And mudbloods—more politely referred to as "from a non-magic family" or "new bloods", which are thought to be common animals by many pureblood families. Now, there is something missing here. Does anyone know what it is? Squibs! Correct! You may pass go—collect $200. Live happily ever after until of course some Death Eater shows up at your house and murders you. After that you can leave me that $200 in your will—it was I that gave it to you after all. Ok, sorry. Back to the point now. Squibs are people with magical parents but who have no magic in them at all. Can't even manage to levitate a feather. There are only two squibs mentioned in the very popular Harry Potter books, so I hope you paid close attention because one will be mentioned in this story. And those are the blood types of the magical community. There are also things such as vampires and werewolves, who become half-bloods of a different sort but we'll touch in on them later.

Anyway, during this time a big war has sprouted out causing major disruptions in the mixing of bloods. People are scared of the purebloods because they'll be big supporters of this new movement right? And half-bloods—you never knew where their loyalties lied. Then there was the "new bloods" who you didn't want to get to close to if you didn't want to risk your life and your family's lives. Squibs, well nobody really hung around them anyway. They had the choice to go to Hogwarts but most refused, choosing to live their lives as regular muggles.

Which brings me to Hogwarts. One of the best magical schools in the world. Sure, it may not be as sophisticated as Beuxbatons in France or have as grand of grounds as Durmstrang in Bulgaria, but the education you received place you far above the other schools. With a headmaster like Albus Dumbledoore, you could be sure to expect the truth and be kept safe—from the outside world anyway. The four feuding houses often pranked each other and were rivals throughout the year fighting for both the Quidditch Cup and the most points for their house. Three of the houses tended to survive in an easy harmony: Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor. All of them pretty much kept to themselves and though they weren't the best of friends, they saw each other on common ground. Then there were the Slytherines. Even back to the times of the founders Slytherine was always the odd one out. A secret chamber was created for his classes when the other founders refused to teach only purebloods.

So you see, this blood business has been going on for thousands of years. It's not a new concept. People fail to realize that even if you aren't of magical decent, your powers can be astronomical. This you will realize once you read this story. So onward—to a tale of an interesting school year. This isn't really a love/hate story, rather a self discovery one—for many different characters.

Author's Note:Hey everyone. This is my first fic on my own, but I'm writing one with my best friend Annie that's a Draco/Ginny. please review, if you get down this far. this chapter didn't really mean anything so w/e. thanks a lot. Peace.


	2. Chapter 2

Green Eyed Shadows

Before Hogwarts

Ten year old Lily Evans squinted against the morning sunlight. Her lungs burned, and sweat ran down her reddened face. She swung her leg and "GOAL!"

Cheers erupted from the sidelines and her teammates came up to congratulate her for scoring the winning point. Lily thanked them but was watching for a single face in the crowd of people. Her father, Dill Evans, came rushing up and you could tell by his face that he was bursting with pride. He picked her up beneath her arms and swung her in circles, and together they laughed in pure joy.

"I think this deserves a treat," Lily's father proclaimed as they walked back to the car. "Let's go to that little ice-cream parlor that you love so much."

Lily, still breathless from the previous events of the day, just nodded her head in agreement.

As they sat in the high stools covered in a shiny varnish Lily's feet (which were still a few inches short of the ground) began to swing back and forth. From as far back as she could remember Lily had been able to know things. It wasn't something she could explain. Once, when she and her father had been eating dinner, Lily had asked if he wanted to get the telephone or if she should. Dill had been about to inquire as to what she was talking about when the phone rang. Later, when Lily was tucked under her covers and her father tried to figure out how she was able to predict the call, Lily had told him, "It was just one of the buzzies in my head. I don't pay much attention to them, but sometimes when they're too loud I just have to listen. Doesn't everyone have them?" and that was the first clue they had that Lily Evans was no ordinary girl.

At that moment, in the ice-cream shop, Lily felt a sickening drop in her stomach, like speeding down a roller coaster's hill, and she knew that after this moment something was going to change drastically. And looking into her father's eyes Lily knew that he knew that she knew.

"Do you remember that woman I'm seeing?" her father asked somewhat anxiously. "She has a daughter around your age you know."

"Rose Cummings absolutely hates me, and her daughter is fifteen," Lily said flatly giving him a hard stare.

Dill cleared his throat and looked at his life. Her thin, athletic build already showed signs of maturing. The deep red hair that she had inherited from his side of the family was tied up in a messy ponytail. Her sun-kissed skin was evidence that all her free time was spent outdoors, and the light freckles that were sprinkled across her nose and cheeks would fade away when she got older, just as Violet's had. Even now, nine years after her death, Dill felt the pain go through him at the thought of his beloved wife. Although most of Lily's features were from the Evans' side, her eyes were clearly from Violet. They were clear emerald green, and almond shaped. Most of the time, her eyes glittered with happiness and mischief, but right now they had taken on a darker quality that he rarely saw.

"Rose does not hate you. She told me herself. And Petunia's absolutely fond of you. She'll be that big sister you've always wanted. The truth of the matter is—you're growing up, Lily. I've raised you as best I tried, but you're not a little boy. You should be interested in fashion, and soap operas and…boys," he managed to say against the wave of protectiveness that claimed: _"No, she's my baby. No boy is good enough!" _

"Lily, there are things about the female body that we've never discussed and I'm not sure it should be me that explains it to you," he said awkwardly.

Lily almost burst out laughing at the comical look on her dad's face but bit it back for his sake. "Dad," she said calmly, breaking him out of his rant, "Mrs. Figg gave me this talk ages ago."

Arabella Figg was their batty old neighbor who would often watch Lily when Dill had to go out of town. She wore her frizzy gray hair in a loose knot on her head and her horn rimmed glasses on a chain around her neck. She presently had about five cats—all of which she adored and would tell you just how great each individual one was if given the chance.

"Mrs. Figg?" sputtered Dill incredulously. "She's old enough to be your grandmother!"

Lily rolled her eyes. Men these days. "She's got loads of experience, Dad. And you should hear her stories! Once, when she was in France on holiday, there was this male stripper who—"

"Alright enough! I don't ever want you to bring up Mrs. Figg and a male stripper in the same conversation again. Got it?" Mr. Evans asked hopefully.

"Sure Dad," Lily laughed.

"Anyway," Dill hedged on," I think it's time you had a real mother, Lily. And I really like Rose. She would make the perfect wife for me and the perfect parent for you. She already has a teenage daughter, who you'll grow to love in time…"

"Dad," Lily said. She stared into her father's eyes and knew this was more serious than she had originally thought. "Aren't I enough? We're happy right—just the two of us? It's always been that way. I don't need a new mum. I have you, and you're the best parent I could dream of. Who cares if my body goes through a few changes? I'm still gonna be your little tomboy. That's not ever changing! I don't like Rose or Petunia. I don't trust them. How do you know they're not just after your money like all those other women? Please Daddy, let it just be you and me."

Dill stared at his daughter. In his heart he knew she was partially right, but he was a grown man and had been without a whole family for so long. "You're being selfish, Lily. I need this. I can't just have a little girl around all the time; I need mature people who understand things. I've asked Rose to marry me and she's accepted. We are going to be a big happy family and love each other. Now the Cummings have never given you a reason to not like them and if it's one of those freakish little feelings you have then it's wrong!"

The parlor had gone quiet at Dill's outburst and everyone had turned to look at them. Tears had begun to form in Lily's eyes, but before they could fall she rushed out of the room. Dill paid for the sundaes and walked outside, trying to ignore the withering glares of the mothers present.

Outside, Lily was nowhere to be found. Dill glanced around the street but didn't spot any red. He got in his car and headed home, already regretting his words to Lily. She had always been a special child. She was amazingly smart, already taking high school courses and acing them too. It was though she could soak up knowledge—read her a bedtime story and she could recite it back to you word for word; her mother had been like that too. She was one of the kindest people he knew, and though he would like to say she got that from him, he knew it wasn't true. Most parents dreaded getting calls from the school, but for Lily, it was always for something good: she had saved a kid from a bully and then talked to the bully and helped them too, she was learning a new language to communicate with a new foreign student, she found a wallet on the ground filled with money and returned it to the office. She was…the perfect child. Everyone told him so.

But…she didn't have any great friends. She had always kept to herself, never getting to attached to anyone, yet being there for everybody. The only person besides him that she actually _loved_ was her imaginary friend. Dill shook his head. He had thought she would be over this stage by age six at the most. Mione. He didn't even know if it was a boy or girl. When he asked Lily what it looked like she had replied, "I don't really know. We talk to each other, but we don't see each other. But we're really close." Dill pulled into the winding driveway and saw Lily in the backyard climbing her favorite tree. His temper was still running high, so he decided to talk to her later. They had all the time in the world.

Two months had passed since the wedding and Lily was absolutely miserable. Rose had convinced Dill to get rid of most of the servants, claiming they were stealing her jewels. She insisted that the girls have chores to build their character. Lily wouldn't have minded this at all—she had often helped the old maids in their work—but instead of giving Lily and Petunia equal amounts of work, she left it all to Lily. All the cleaning and washing was being done by her, and her father didn't even notice.

A sharp pain shot through her heart at the thought of her father. An unshakable wall had formed between them that Lily desperately wanted to break. He had taken in his new family with open arms and a happy heart, never even noticing how they treated what was once his pride and joy.

One day—the twentieth of August to be exact—an owl arrived for Lily. She wasn't very surprised; Mione had told her this would be happening soon. She took the letter off its talon and fed it part of her breakfast. Lily tore open the wax seal and read the first two lines on the heavy parchment before letting out a squeal of delight and racing off to find her father.

She ran all around the large house calling his name but received no answer. A sharp pain grew in her and she fell on the floor breathless. When she blinked back her tears she crawled back upstairs to her father's room. He was lying on the king sized bed, moaning in pain. Lily looked into his face and knew his time was short.

"Daddy," she cried. "What happened? Who did this to you?"

"Men," he rasped out. "They were in masks and dark cloaks. They wanted something—a key. I didn't understand and they…I'm not sure what they did."

"I'll go call the police," said Lily.

"No," Dill gasped. "There isn't time. Stay with me my daughter. I'm sorry for these last few months. I know we haven't been together enough. And I'm sorry about not listening to you. I want you to know how much I love you my little flower. I would move the sun and the moon for you if I could."

"I know Daddy. I love you too," Lily cried.

"You are so much like your mother," breathed Dill in wonder. "You don't really look like her. Most of your face comes from my side of the family, all but your freckles and eyes, but the way you are…the type of person you'll grow into. You're gonna make a difference in the world someday Lily. You can't help it but to be great. I love you."

And right before Lily's watery eyes, her father's life was snatched away into greater hands.

She made the necessary calls and was appalled when the first thing Petunia and Rose asked about was the reading of the will. Rose made it clear just what kind of a hell she would put Lily through, but Lily was making other plans in her mind already.

London wasn't that far away and with the directions that had been included with the letter she was sure she could find Diagon Alley on her own. And once she got back she would simply wave her wand around and Rose Evans would be so terrified that she would gladly take the little witch away to the train station. And it would be an added bonus not having the "freak" around until next summer. Lily smiled grimly to herself and began to make her traveling preparations.

Authors Note: i'm sorry for all the spelling mistakes i made. i know they're wrong and there's going to be a lot of mispelled words later on. thanks a lot. peace.


	3. Battle Ground

Green Eyed Shadows

Battle Ground

"Evans, Lily."

Lily walked up to the three-legged stool and placed the old hat on her head. The students weren't paying too much attention by this time and so none of this was making her very self conscious.

**_"Hmm…this is very interesting. Courage, loyalty, brilliance, and slyness. You will be a tough one."_**

The voice shocked her only the slightest bit. She was starting to get use to all the little surprises the magical world was throwing at her, but sometimes little things like a talking hat got the better of her.

_"That was a lovely song you sang earlier. I found it simply fascinating,"_ she told the hat in her mind.

**_"My dear, you are the first person to complement me on a song in years. You know, it's not easy coming up with a different rhyme every year century after century."_**

_"No, I don't imagine it is."_

_**"In fact, the last person to compliment me was Rowena Ravenclaw. I think that will be the house for you. Any objections?"**_

_"No. Ravenclaw's fine. You've been doing this longer than I have."_

_**"Ok then, dear. It's been nice chatting with you. **_RAVENCLAW!" shouted the hat.

Lily rushed over to her appointed table. She hadn't made any friends so she just sat in the middle of a group of people. "Took you long enough," commented one of the upper years. "I'm starving!"

The rest of the sorting went rather quickly. Soon Dumbledore was standing up and warning them not to go into the Forbidden Forest, looking at a group of fourth year Gryffindor boys as he said it and with a clap of his hands, their feast appeared.

During the feast Lily talked to Cara, a fourth year girl, about the professors. "Oh Professor Gropes is completely horrid. He favors the Slytherins. Wish Sprout would favor us once in a while, but she's ok I—"

She broke off as the Slytherin table began bawling like babies. "I want my mommy!" one screamed. While another one cried, "I have'ta go potty!"

The students—minus the crying ones—burst into laughter. Even some of the teachers had trouble keeping a straight face. Only two of the professors looked positively mad: Gropes and McGonagall. Heads of the Gryffindor and Slytherin houses.

Lily looked at Cara questioningly. "It's the Marauders," Cara explained. "They're the biggest pranksters in the whole school and probably the hottest guys too. They're in my year, but even the seventh year girls adore them. They have the great marks and are even better than some Ravenclaws in some classes. They're really funny and are great at Quidditch—well only James and Sirius play, but they're good enough to go pro if they wanted to. Oh, and they hate the Slytherins. It was a huge scandal when Sirius got into Gryffindor, cause his whole family for generations went to Slytherin. The two houses are always hexing each other. They pretty much ignore us—except for the convenient snog and all—so we want to stay out of their way. Getting close to a Gryffindor will make you a target for snakes and getting close to Slytherins will get you in the lions' den. Stick to Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, and stay neutral with the other two houses. We wouldn't want you to get hurt."

Lily thought over what Cara had said. Apparently Hogwarts was more than a school. It was a battle ground, and she had just unknowingly entered it. She glanced between the two rival tables. The Gryffindor table looked far more pleasant. All its occupants were laughing and conversing with each other. And yet, it seemed so… fake. All the students seemed almost _too_ perfect. Lily knew this wasn't entirely fair; everyone had problems, but as she gazed at the Slytherins they all seemed so much more _real_.

True, they all seemed cold and harsh and a little too full of themselves, but these people had witnessed real life. They had seen pain and torture and were ready to embrace it. There was a strong foundation of loyalty there that most would barely notice, but Lily did. Sure, a lot of people were loyal. Those Hubbleputts or whatever they were called


	4. Disclaimer

OMG! I FORGOT THE DISCLAIMER! Can you tell I'm new at this?

Ok so I don't own any of the charac…AHHHHHH! The feds are taking me away!

"No please, I'm sorry—I just forgot about it and…

handcuffed

"Please, I'm still a minor! I have rights! Leave me in peace!"

(it's hard to type in handcuffs)

"The characters aren't mine, I admit it! They belong to J.K. Rowling!"

feds stare at each other a while and shrug

"She's just a pathetic little wanna-be who can't even come up with her own people. It's not like she's a danger to society." Says fed#1

"Yeah, people who forget disclaimers aren't evil villains. They're just absent minded authors." fed#2

feds exit leaving a very confused me still handcuffed me in their wake

me--grins evilly and pulls out master diabolical plan that will let me rule the world!

HA HA HA HA!

Ok, that was my disclaimer chappy. Sorry for forgetting about it. And thanks for the support and reviews. Especially from my best friend Annie B. who is willing to sacrifice her conversation with her crazy suicidal ex to read my story. No offence to any of you who are suicidal. Just don't kill yourself before reviewing. No—don't kill yourself at all. Family members will be crushed! I speak from wisdom passed down from my sister. Ok that's all. TTFN—ta ta for now!


	5. A New Year and New Teachers

Green Eyed Shadows

A New Year and New Teachers

Twenty year old James Potter glanced around the Leaky Cauldron. Dumbledore was late. James knew he shouldn't mind. After all, with Hogwarts and the Order, the man had a lot on his plate, but still, he had been waiting here for ten minutes!

"Hello James, I'm sorry if I kept you waiting."

James jumped and looked up into the warm blue eyes of his previous headmaster.

"You're late, Albus. I was getting worried."

Dumbledore sat down in the short wooden chair and peered over his half moon spectacles at James. "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. I was just remembering your old school days and how you used to always arrive at least fifteen minutes late to each class. I was actually expecting to get here before you."

James laughed at his mentor's explanation. "Well you wanted a favor. I was anxious to see what it was. Does it have anything to do with," he glanced around and lowered his voice,"the Order?"

Secretly James hoped it did. Although he had Auror training he was usually stuck doing paperwork with the rest of the rookies. He felt utterly useless. So many innocent people were being tortured and killed and he was writing about missing cauldrons. As part of the Order he felt more useful than being part of the ministry. He and the other Marauders were working as informants. Keeping Dumbledore filled in on what was happening inside the ministry and such stuff. He had yet to go on a dangerous mission and was hoping that Dumbledore would present him with one.

"Actually, the Order is involved in this," Dumbledore said softly, a twinge of humor in his voice. "I am sending two members on a most important journey and need you…to teach at Hogwarts."

James was about to make his acceptance speech for the mission on which he would risk life and limb and do anything to complete it when the full impact of Dumbledore's words hit him. He stared at him for a few seconds as if waiting for him to shout "April fools!" but it didn't come.

"You want me to teach?" James asked incredulously. "I'm practically still a kid. No way they would listen to me. Plus, I was a Marauder. We did pranks, Professor. You should ask someone else like…Mooney! You should ask Remus. He'd be a great teacher."

"Mr. Lupin has already agreed to teach Defense against the Dark Arts. We need a Transfiguration teacher and I seem to remember you being at the top of your class. Yes, you will have to give up pranks, and you mustn't hex the students, but I'm sure this will be more interesting than the job you have now." Dumbledore looked into James's eyes. "It's completely up to you, Mr. Potter."

For the first time, James actually considered the man's offer. In truth, he was missing his old school, and what better way to go back than as a teacher. He could take as many points off of Slytherine as he wanted! It could be fun. Plus, he did have a few friends back there. And he couldn't leave Mooney on his own, what with his condition…

"I'll do it."

Dumbledore smiled warmly at him. "Term starts September 1, but teachers get there a day early to start planning lessons."

He left shortly after and James apparated to the Lupin Flat, and found Remus going through old school books obviously trying to put together a lesson plan. He was mumbling to himself about red caps when James interrupted him.

"Mooney, why didn't you tell me you were going to teach?"

Remus swung around in shock, his wand drawn, before realizing who was there.

"Merlin, Prongs. I could have killed you!" he gasped out.

"Well, I'm very grateful you didn't old friend," he said, smiling. "When did you learn to draw that fast?"

He shrugged modestly. "I've been practicing. I don't want to die cause I couldn't get my wand out of my pocket."

James nodded in agreement. "Anyway," he began again. "Why didn't you tell me you were teaching at Hogwarts?"

"Who told you?" Remus asked in surprise.

"Come now, Mooney. I'm a Marauder. We have our ways. I have a sixth-sense when one of us is keeping something from me." He said slyly.

Remus rolled his eyes. "I'm not that pathetic, Prongs. Really, who told you?"

"Dumbledore," James laughed. "And the funny thing is that I did that same bit on Wormtail and he was freaking out."

"You know better than to say that type of thing to him. He doesn't understand when you're joking or not," Remus scolded.

"Wow, Mooney, you've got this teacher bit down. Now just practice saying _"Five_ _points from Slytherine"_ and you'll be all set."

"What I don't understand," began Remus, "is why Albus would tell you that I was teaching?"

"Maybe cause I'm teaching too, big buddy," James said sitting down on the sofa. "Transfiguration. And in my opinion, this is too soon to start planning classes."

"Prongs, we'll be teaching seven different years and two classes per year. That's a lot of classes. And we have to be prepared." Remus watched his best friend lying on his couch without a care in the world. He felt a small stab of jealousy and immediately squashed it remembering who he was with.

"It'll be just like old times, Mooney," said James lazily. "But this time, we'll be aloud to walk around in the middle of the night. I wonder if there are any other new teachers."

"Not that I know of," Remus answered. "But I think old Gropes is still there."

James groaned into the cushion. "Noooo. Well, at least he can't take points away from us. And there'll be two of us to favor Gryffindor, so we'll definitely win the cup."

"We won't win the cup," Remus reminded him. "The students will."

"Yeah, whatever," James replied sleepily. "I wonder how our Quidditch team is this year."

Remus just rolled his eyes at his friend's one track mind.


	6. The Start of Term

Green Eyed Shadows

The Start of Term

James rushed through the corridor to the Transfiguration classroom. It was already August 31 and he still had to plan his lesson for the start of term. He took a quick glance at his watch and found himself falling onto the floor.

"Oof," he grunted as the wind rushed out of him. He looked up to see what he had collided with and found himself pleasantly surprised. He first saw the sandal clad foot with bright red toe nails. Then his gaze traveled up the long expanse of leg that seemed to go on for miles. The legs were eventually stopped by a pair of extremely short jean shorts. The flat stomach was covered by a black tank top with glittering silver wording that said _"Believe In The Magic!"_ The words brought his attention to a very generous chest. James stared at it for a moment before moving onto her face.

Her hair was the color of a fine red wine, and it cascaded in loose curls down to her mid-back. The color was so unique that James was sure that it was her natural coloring. Her tanned skin was devoid of make-up, yet it had the arousing affect many women spent hours trying to achieve. James knew this from experience (not _his_ experience—his past girlfriends'). Her pink lips were parted and James could only anticipate how they would taste. He looked up into her eyes. The almond shapes were framed by long, coal black lashes. The emerald depths were glaring at him with undisguised rage.

"I think it's against the rules for you to look at one of your students like your next sex toy," she told him coldly.

James gaped at her when her words reached him. "You're a student?" he asked incredulously.

She rolled her eyes at his words. "I matured early, Potter. And apparently, you're still just a boy who thinks with his nether-regions."

He was saved from having to come up with a snappy retort by a familiar voice. "Is there a reason you two are conducting this conversation from the ground?"

The mystery girl's eyes lit up in delight when she looked up over James's shoulder. "Remus!" she cried and jumped up into his friend's arms with a look of complete adoration on her face.

Remus laughed jovially as he swung the girl in circles. When he finally put her down he stared at her for a long moment before saying, "Lily, last time I saw you you were a tiny pipsqueak that could be knocked over by a feather. Now look at you: a young woman!"

James still couldn't believe it. His best friend knowing a looker like this and not sharing his finds with the rest of them? James tried to smother his bitterness and focused on his bewilderment. Though many women were fond of Remus, he never got too involved with any of them. He had the strange idea they would be afraid of him because of his…er… problem.

"Are you going to introduce me to your friend, Mooney?" James asked, interrupting the friendly reunion.

Remus looked at James in surprise, as if forgetting he and this Lily girl had an audience. "Oh, right. Prongs, this is Lily Evans—a seventh year Ravenclaw. I met her in our fourth year when I found her sneaking into Hogsmead. She was quite interested in the Shrieking Shack." Remus said meaningfully.

"Oh, for gosh sakes Remus, no one's around," Lily said exasperatedly. She turned her attention to James and said, "I know about what Remus is. I've known for a while now, and no I haven't and will not tell anyone. Though if it had been any other of you lion scums, the whole school would have known in a heartbeat."

And with that she turned on her heal and left, leaving a sheepish werewolf and an angry best friend standing there awkwardly.

"You've got a lot of explaining to do, mate," James coldly told him.

"Yeah," replied Remus. "Let's do it over a cup of tea."

"So let me get this straight," James said forty-five minutes later. "You follow this girl into Hogsmead because she _smells_ funny. Then when she's standing at the Shack, you just feel this need to start up a conversation with her. And when you begin to talk about magical creatures you tell her every single thing you know about werewolves and when she asks if you've ever encountered one, you tell her all about getting bitten…That about right?" James finished, trying to keep his feelings in check.

"Yeah, but when you say it like that, it seems so stupid." Remus sighed.

There was a few seconds of silence and then James exploded as if he was baking soda and someone had poured a ton of vinegar on him. "ARE YOU CRAZY? TELLING A FIRST YEAR YOUR SECRET? AND NOT ONLY THAT A FIRST YEAR _GIRL_, WHO WAS _NOT_ IN GRYFFINDOR, WHO COULDN'T BE TRUSTED, WHOM YOU HAD _ONE_ CONVERSATION WITH, AND YOU DIDN'T FIND THE NEED TO TELL THIS TO ANY OF US?

James was silent for a moment, staring at the cold tea. "We're your best friends, right Mooney?"

Remus was shocked at the hoarseness in his friend's voice. "Yeah, mate," he told him reassuringly. "The Marauders are the best friends I could ever ask for. Don't doubt that."

"Then why couldn't you trust us with this?" said James, hurt. "We spent practically our whole first year trying to figure out what was wrong with you and this girl—a Ravenclaw first year—is the one you spill your guts to. You were telling your biggest secret to a cute little red-head and we were trying to become animagi. Were you drunk? Was that it?"

"Prongs, the thing you have to understand is, I trust Lily with my life. She…she hangs with a tough crowd, and she knows how to stand up for herself. She isn't the type to just let my secret slip," Remus explained.

"What do you mean, she hangs with a tough crowd?" asked James.

Remus looked at the ground uncomfortably. "First, you have to promise not to lose control," he warned James.

"Sure," James confirmed, his curiosity peaked.

"Lily—now, don't get me wrong, she's a terrific person—hangs with the Slytherins," Remus admitted whispering the last part.

"She what?" exploded James. "You told your biggest secret to a Slytherin?"

"No, that I didn't do. She hangs out with the Slytherins; she is in Ravenclaw. And when I did tell her I didn't know what house she was in," he explained.

James shook his head in frustration. "Does she know what we are?" he asked finally.

"Prongs, you know I wouldn't tell that to anyone, not even Dumbledore," began Remus, and James let out a sigh of relief. "But she figured that out on her own."

James looked at his friend in horror. "Do you realize what opportunity this presents her with? I give her a bad mark, and she could send me to Azkaban! And my being an animagus gave me an advantage over the Dark Side—spying on Death Eaters without there knowledge, and that sort of thing. With her being friendly with the Slytherins…"

"First of all," Remus said, "she won't deserve any bad marks. She's a genius in every subject. And second, she won't tell them anything. She learned about it in her second year and she's in seventh year now. She hasn't told anyone yet."

"It's the 'yet' that scares me," James said glumly.

"Listen, she hates you. She has this thing against all Gryffindors, and the Gryffindors hate her. It's probably because she's the only one from a neutral house that publicly chose one house over another. Even her own house dislikes her. The majority of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw have always sided with our house. She…Lily knows how to take care of herself. I sometimes get the feeling she has a reason for hanging with the Slytherins; she doesn't agree with a lot of their methods, but they accept her—almost worship her in a way."

Remus stumbled along in his explanation. He knew how James had no tolerance for the Dark Arts, and telling him Lily was involved with people who were definitely in line to become Death Eaters might have been a bad idea, but if he didn't tell James what he knew about Lily now, he knew when James saw her with her other schoolmates he would feel even more betrayed.

"Lily's got a lot of tough stuff in her life, pal," Remus told his angry friend. He wasn't about to go into details, though he knew that might have convinced his stubborn friend. "She asked me not to tell you guys about her, because she knows how the Slytherins would react to her being friends with us. They'd kick her out of the group, and that group is all she has."

"Well, that would be doing her a favor, wouldn't it? Listen to me closely, Mooney: You. Are. Crazy. I would chalk it up to your furry little problem, but you were always the sane one during the old days. As a matter of fact, you still are today! Sirius and I would've splinched ourselves trying to apparate while drunk if it weren't for you. Now, though…well, maybe we can hit her with a good memory charm," James said thoughtfully.

"We aren't going to hit her with a memory charm. Only a lunatic professor would attack their student like that," Remus warned.

"You're right," James said absent-mindedly.

"I—I am?" said Remus incredulously; surprised he had been able to convince James so easily.

"Yeah," muttered James. "Doing a memory charm doesn't get us any revenge for her brainwashing you. Maybe we could try that hair-removal potion we fed to Snape and Malfoy during seventh year. Remember how greasy ol' Snivelly's bald head was? We'll have to call in the troops if we want to scare her into silence. I'll owl Padfoot; you get Wormtail."

James was already rushing out of the room when Remus understood his war plan. "Prongs," he growled, yanking the neck of his friend's cloak, "no one is going to do anything to her. It was my secret to tell, and you can't blame her for finding out about you. If you so much as glance at her the wrong way, you'll have me to deal with." He threw James down onto the floor and stormed out of the room.

James stared at his friend's retreating back in shock. "Sorry to disturb you during your time of month," he called out cheekily, but if Remus heard him he gave no indication.

Well, he'd make his judgment on this Ravenclaw later. For now, he had lessons to prepare.

"So, what are you doing here before the term starts? I didn't know they let students in early," Remus said over his pumpkin pasty.

"They don't," Lily told him between bites of her chocolate frog. "But I'm helping Dumbledore out, so…here I am."

"Helping him with what?" Remus asked. He had never heard of a student staying at Hogwarts during the summer holidays, or Dumbledore needing help from a student.

"Just some muggle stuff. With the war here the Headmaster wants access to newspapers and telephones and televisions. He even has a few cars. He wants to save them, and with all this stuff he feels closer to him and he's able to know what major events are coming up for them," she told him casually.

"And he can't manage that himself?" Remus asked suspiciously.

Lily laughed ruefully. "I'm sure he can," she said. "But he knows what I go through at home. This way, he gets me away from that and says something to make me feel useful.

"Good ol' Dumbledore," Remus sighed.

"May he always be with us," Lily added.

And they held up their half finished sweets and bumped them together as though they were saying a toast holding champagne flutes instead of their favorite sweets.

"It gives me great pleasure to announce to you our three new members of teaching staff," Dumbledore announced before desserts.

James and Remus looked at each other, their argument now forgotten. "Three?" they asked each other at the same time. Then they peered down the long table looking for an unfamiliar face.

"They must be on the other side of Hagrid," Remus said still looking down the table. "He's the only one I can't see around."

"A lot of you may already recognize them, as they were students not so very long ago."

"Does that mean whoever else is teaching is young, too?" James whispered to his friend.

"I guess so," Remus said. "Let's wait and see."

"As our new Defense against the Dark Arts we have Professor Lupin!"

Upper members of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw burst into spontaneous cheers. Soon the younger students joined their example. The Slytherin table was clapping politely, though it looked as if it pained them. Remus stood up and made a slight wave, then sat down bashfully.

"This years Transfiguration teacher will be Professor Potter."

The Great Hall erupted in noise. The Slytherin table's hissing was drown out by the other tables' greeting. James stood up and bowed gallantly to the three tables, waving his hand as though he were a king. It was five minutes before the applause finally died down, but when James shot fireworks into the air from his wand it started out again. Finally, after fifteen minutes of standing there, soaking up the applause, the sound died down.

"And last, but not least—our new Potions teacher, Professor Snape."

The Slytherin table jumped to their feet screaming their praise. It took a few seconds for the other tables to respond. Hufflepuffs started clapping politely, and soon the Ravenclaws joined in. Gryffindor table glared over at the Slytherins who were looking triumphantly at them as if saying, _"At least Dumbledore's picked one decent teacher."_ A single Ravenclaw jumped to her feet and yelled, "Way to go, Severous!"

James stared at Lily in shock. Sure, Remus had warned him, but she was friends with his mortal enemy? He was so much older than her. he glanced in the direction that Snape was in and was surprised to find him floating five feet off the ground and without a wand in his hand. He was staring directly at the red-haired Ravenclaw and a boiling sensation came into James's stomach.

Was he jealous? Was James Potter jealous of that greasy Slytherin git? James had had a parade of women in his life, most of them with him for a week or two. All of them were beautiful, sexy women, and when he was out with them, many a man would turn his head. But to think that his longtime rival had gotten farther with this green eyed seductress than him was unthinkable. Sure, he had just met her yesterday and Snape probably knew her for a few years, but…

It didn't matter. They were her professors now, and any type of relationship between them was against the rules. Still, that didn't mean James couldn't picture the enticing vixen without her school robes on, head thrown back, eyes closed, fingers clutching the bed sheets, moaning in pleasure. James gave his head a sharp shake. _Think about something else, dimwit!_ _She's Remus's friend. She's your student!_ James's head responded quickly enough trying to devise ways of getting Snape sacked, but his body was another story. It was gonna be one interesting year.


	7. Junior Member of the Order

Green Eyed Shadows

Junior Member of the Order

Lily glanced around the Forbidden Forest. The trees sheltering her from the rain were swaying in the storm's violent wind.

_Daughter of Earth_

_Mother of the Chosen One_

_She is the key._

It occurred to her how stupid she was being. Hello. Horrible storm? Get away from giant trees! Then two figures appeared from opposite ends of the clearing. Well, at least she wasn't the only one with a death wish.

_Her pureness is rare_

_And it won't always be so_

_But with it's passing,_

_Comes great power._

On her left side rested a giant snake. She would have called it a basilisk, but its eyes were a deep blood red, and when she looked into them, she remained alive. The snake whispered of how it could bring her to great power, how she would be his queen, how he would make her his.

_Born from the snake's heir_

_It rules in darkness._

_The world cowers before the Dark Lord_

_And his great son._

To her right was a lion. It sat on the muddy ground majestically. It didn't whisper to her promises of power, rather words of love and comfort. It pleaded with her to choose him over the snake, as if it would die if she didn't.

_Born from the lion's heir_

_It battles in light._

_The Dark Lord cowers before him_

_Who uses the powers of love._

The lion and snake started circling her, calling out her name. Other faces joined in, trying to urge her over to their side. Her childhood best friend stood behind the lion and called to her. Lily took a step to her right but then more people appeared. Men in black cloaks stood behind the lion and murdered her father. She rushed backwards from the lion and tripped on a tree root that was stuck out of the ground. The snake rushed up to her and comforted her, and she was about to express her thanks when the lion dashed forward and swiped his paw at the serpent.

_The girl is the key._

_Who will she decide?_

_Light or dark?_

_Fight or hide?_

Lily bolted upright, gasping for breath. She glanced at the clock on her bedside table: 5:00 a.m. She slipped her feet into the slippers by her bed and walked into her private bathroom, still slightly shaken.

The dream was getting stronger. She first started seeing it a few months after her arrival at Hogwarts. It didn't really mean anything to her at first; she had forgotten about it almost instantly. But as the years passed it kept becoming more and more vivid. It was pretty clear what it meant. This innocent "key" had to do the deed with either the heir of Slytherin or the heir of Gryffindor. And obviously the heir of Slytherin was Voldemort. There weren't too many Dark Lords around now-a-days. The heir of Gryffindor was another matter entirely. Experts were still speculating over whether Godric Gryffindor even had descendants, much less who they were.

Lily peeled off the damp pajamas clinging to her body from sweat. Adjusting the water to the right temperature, she stepped into the large shower stall. Well, hopefully whoever Gryffindor's heir was he was a better guy than good ol' Tom, cause there was no way she was having sex with the evil monster. She leaned her head back and let the water wash away her tears. _You shouldn't have had your goons murder my father, Tom. I could never be with a killer. _

As much as it pained her to do so, Lily turned off the shower and stepped out onto the magically heated floor. Walking over to her trunk, she thought hard on what she should wear that day. It was the first day of November, and that meant a whole new wardrobe.

_Hmmm. My Hogwarts uniform or my Hogwarts uniform? Or…oh my God it's perfect: my Hogwarts uniform!_

"Whoa," she whispered out loud. "Where did that come from? I've been associating with too many Hufflepuffs."

So, she changed into her smashing outfit, pinned on her badge with pride, and went off to see the headmaster.

-------------------------------------------

"It was clearer than it has ever been," Lily told him. "I think it'll be sometime this year. If I hadn't stayed here over the summer, I would probably be pregnant with Voldy Jr. by now."

(Author's Note: ok this is completely random, but I just noticed that in one of my chapters I say something about Sprout being Lily's Head of House. That's not right. I think it's Flitwick, or someone like that. Do they ever mention it? I do know Sprout is head of Hufflepuff, and I am ashamed of you reviewers who didn't scold me for this mistake. Ok now—back to the story.)

"You're sure of this?" Dumbledore asked warily. "There is the chance that the prophesy is about someone else."

Lily nodded her head in agreement. "There is that possibility," she conceded. "But we know it's me. I'm the key, Professor. And the other side knows it."

"Soon, you'll have to reveal your true loyalties to them. I know that it'll be hard for you, but you'll have to break all ties from them if you want to be safe," the headmaster told her.

"Do you really think that if I stop hanging out with them I'll be safe?" Lily laughed. "It took them ages to accept me—a muggleborn. Then, they discovered that their master could have use for me, so they honored me. If they find out that from the very beginning that I detested them, and was passing over information…seven years of friendship won't be enough to protect me."

Fawkes flew over to her and perched on her knee. Using his head, it wiped away the tears of desperation that had been falling.

"I understand how difficult this is for you," Dumbledore said gently.

"No you don't. These people are my family now. They trust me and take care of me. I know that soon most of them will be out there torturing innocent people and such, but they're all I have. If I had to entrust three people with my life, it would be three people who already have a tattoo on their arm. They hate me because of who my parents are, but they accept me because I'm strong. With them gone, I don't think I'll be strong anymore. They're all I have now. They have families and futures and I'm handing over secrets that can get them killed. Gosh, I'm just as bad as they are." Lily patted Fawkes affectionately.

"If we were to expose my position in the Order to its other members, they wouldn't believe it," she laughed. "All throughout Hogwarts I've made it a public statement about my hate for the Gryffindors and my love of the Slytherins. No one would believe the mudblood snake lover was acting as a spy for the good guys."

"Remus would. And Severous too. And with my persuasion, the others would come to accept you in time," Albus said gently to the anguished teen.

"Yippie," said Lily sarcastically. "I have the backing of a Slytherin and a werewolf. People will welcome me with open arms."

Dumbledore chuckled at her antics. Lily was the cleverest, most brilliant and loyal student he had ever come across. He could still remember the day she had offered to give him information—for a price.

Flashback(what would a HP fanfiction be without one?)

_The door to the headmaster's office creaked open, and slipping inside it was a young first year. She glanced around the circular room, her eyes resting on his phoenix. After a moment of stillness, she turned and faced him._

"_I have a proposition for you sir," she told him calmly._

"_Miss Evans, correct?" he asked in amusement._

_She nodded her head in confirmation. Never before had a student offered him a proposition, and he was intrigued. He suspected it had something to do with her marks: all Ravenclaws tried to make it to the top. The little first year had boldly walked up to the head table two weeks into the term and requested a meeting with him in private. _

"_Well, what is this proposition?" he asked amused. For her to go to all this trouble, he would be awarding her house anyway, regardless of her offer._

"_I want money. Galleons. You pay me every time I deliver," she stated her terms abruptly._

_Now this was interesting. Albus knew of her father's wealth. Surely he had left her more than enough so that she wouldn't have to work a day in her life, and she could easily convert that into Wizarding currency. Maybe she was one of those people obsessed with gaining more. He mentally sighed. These money grubbers were starting off early._

"_Every time you deliver what, Miss Evans?" he asked, already preparing how to refuse._

"_Information," the young red-head replied in total seriousness._

"_You've seen the library, Miss Evans. I daresay I can find anything I need to know there myself. And if I were to need help, Madam Pince is quite the librarian."_

"_Not book information," she said in an annoyed voice as if that were obvious. "I'm a first year, you're a Headmaster. What would I find that you didn't already know?"_

_Albus didn't want to admit that he had been thinking exactly the same thing. He merely nodded her head so she would continue._

"_I'm sure you've noticed my association with the Slytherins. I know not much gets past you. Well, not much gets past me either. I've noticed how your teachers are trying to get information from the students. Things that they've heard from their parents and such. And surely you've noticed that they won't tell them. I can get you dates, times, places, and who's gonna be there. And you can get me five galleons every time I come through." Lily waited a moment for him to digest the information. But she already knew what his answer would be._

_Albus stared at the first year in shock. Was it that obvious what he had been trying to do? Did they all know what this girl knew? Could he trust her to tell him the truth? He had been trying for quite some time now to get an Order member on the inside, but they were all too adamant about joining the dark side, even if it would help them out. Could this little girl accomplish what the adults were afraid to do? He looked into her eyes and saw her past, saw what she had been through and new his answer._

_Albus Dumbledore stuck out his hand. "Deal," he said seriously._

_Lily just smiled grimly. For one split second she felt as if she had sold her soul to the devil. _

End Flashback(oh, what a shame.)

"It's obvious what you have to do," Dumbledore told her gently.

"Yeah, go and shag one of the Gryffindor goons. It figures that the one way to make Tom cower in fear is to get it on with one of those pervs. It'll be around the whole school about ten minutes later." Lily grumbled.

"You're making the assumption that Gryffindor's heir is even in this school. We have no idea who it could be. For all we know it could be the Minister of Magic."

Lily burst out laughing. "That bumbling idiot? No way! There's no way in a hundred years I would have sex with that guy."

"You cannot make assumptions. We don't know who it could be. He might not even be in Gryffindor. It's up to us to find out who he is."

"Maybe we don't have to find out who he is," Lily said hopefully. "Maybe, it'll be someone that I love, someone that I'll feel right being with. Why else would they choose me for this?"

"I don't think it'll work like that," Dumbledore said sorrowfully. "It is without a doubt that you will lose your virginity to either the heir of Gryffindor or to Tom, but you don't love Tom, so it's unlikely that you'll love Gryffindor's heir. I am sorry, dear."

(Author's Note: Well, this is in the Lily James category, people. Any guesses who Gryffindor's heir is? I'll give you three chances! LOL)

Lily nodded her head in understanding, and Albus felt a shot of pain go through his heart at her sadness. He had always felt a soft spot for the Ravenclaw girl. No—woman. Maybe _he_ was the heir of Gryffindor. Maybe it was his destiny to cover her naked body with his and…EWWW. You gross people didn't think I was serious, did you? I bet you did! Annie, I can imagine you reading this right now and I am ashamed that you would pay any attention to this nonsense. Writing this I'm reminded of the third book when Remus takes off his cloak. LoL. Good times, good times. Ok, sorry for putting you through that—back to the story.

Lily nodded her head in understanding, and Albus felt a shot of pain go through his heart at her sadness. Lily was always putting on a tough exterior. For her wantig her first time to be with someone she loved showed that deep beneath that act was a vulnerable soul. A soul that was willing to sacrifice herself for the wizarding world.

"I do doubt that it's the Minister, if that's any constellation," Dumbledore joked.

Lily's lips quirked slightly, and Albus knew that was more of a real smile that she'd let out in a while. They both stood and embraced before Lily turned and left the office, thinking about how weird it was that she discussed her sex life with her very old headmaster.

-------------------------------------------

James sat at the back of his class and watched a certain redhead very closely. His watching her had nothing to do with his attraction to her; he had managed to smother that into the deep recesses of his mind. No, he was watching her because every single day he had this class, ever since the first day of term, a prank was pulled.

They were very splendid pranks; the marauder in him admitted grudgingly, being pulled on both the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws. The only person in the class that had been free from any harm was a certain Lily Evans.

He was watching her so closely he failed to notice one of his other students sprouted a beak and feathers. The day before he had made a remark about how Ravenclaws had the brains of birds.

He was startled out of his watching by bursts of laughter. He looked around and saw the Gryffindor Alan Chang in his bird form. His Ravenclaw girlfriend Sue rushed over and began fussing over him.

James felt a rage boil within him. Nobody should be able to prank someone without him—the prankster of all pranksters—figuring out how they did it!

"Evans!" he barked, sounding like Sirius. "Detention with me tonight."

Lily looked at him with an expression of shocked indignation. "Why?" she asked.

"You and I know very well who's been disturbing this class all year," he growled, again sounding like his friend who was more adapt to sounding like a canine.

Lily looked in surprise around the room. "Who?" she asked in puzzlement.\

"Right here—7:00 sharp, Evans. Don't be late," he muttered and returned back to his desk, leaving a very uncomfortable Alan in feathers.

-------------------------------------------

"It's not fair," Lily whined to her trusted companion. "I'm the only one he picks on. And I'm Head Girl!"

"Well, I'll just have to have a word with him, won't I?" he laughed.

"Can you get me out of detention with him tonight?" she asked hopefully.

"What did you do?" he asked suspiciously.

"Well, I've been pulling harmless pranks since the first day of class, but he couldn't possibly prove that it was me! I swear it!"


	8. Detention

Green Eyed Shadows

Detention

At 7:02 that night Lily decided that she should head to the Transfiguration classroom for her first ever detention. She breezed through the oak doors, completely ignoring her glaring professor. Sitting down in her usual seat she took out a comb and ran it through her hair several times. She put the comb back in her bag then took out eye liner, mascara, lip gloss, and a small hand mirror. After finishing with her face fifteen minutes later she put all the make-up items back in her bag and took out her nail polish to cover all her phalanges(a word we use often in health—fingers and toes for those of you who don't have our great teachers). It was on her fourth toenail that James had finally found his voice.

"What the hell is that?" he shouted.

Lily looked up in shock. "What is what, Professor?"

"This is a detention," James ground out. "In a detention, one does not paint their face. One does what the teacher tells them to do."

"Well, I've been here for almost a half hour," Lily said calmly. "You hadn't told me to do anything so I just did my own thing."

"YOUR OWN THING?" James shouted. He took a breath to calm himself and started up again in a quieter voice. "I know the two of us don't get along. I don't trust you, and I never will trust you, but one of my best friends has stupidly spilled his soul out to you and I'm trying to accept that. Until then, you will stop pranking in my class and act like the responsible student that the headgirl is supposed to be."

"You arrogant, self-absorbed, selfish…" Lily also took a deep calming breath. "You don't know me. You never will know me. You don't know why I do the things I do or why I am the way I am. News flash, Bud—I don't trust you either. From the moment you first saw me I was one thing to you: a nice piece of flesh to look at. Well, let me tell you something—there's a perfectly capable brain behind this pretty face of mine. And it is able to keep Remus's secret." She gave him a glare that would make Riddle himself quiver in his socks.

"What do you think I am—stupid?" James laughed (not a nice laugh either).

"Well, you're certainly not a nuclear physicist," Lily shot back.

"I'm…hold on. What's a nuclear physicist?" asked a very confused wizard.

"Oh puh-lease," said Lily, rolling her emerald peepers. "I honestly don't know how the wizarding community expects to interact with muggles in times like this if they don't even pay attention to their lifestyles and histories. At least the muggles have fairy tales. Nuclear…atoms…bombs."

James just shrugged his shoulders. "What's a bomb?" he asked, recalling her last word.

"It's an explosion. Kinda like the graduation prank you guys played on the professors, but more dangerous. Atom bombs can wipe out entire cities. Not even magic can save you. It leaves behind a residue that could make you sick."

James pondered this piece of information for a while. He was an auror after all, and weapons were part of the job description, but a _muggle_ weapon that could harm them—he bet the little Ravenclaw was pulling his leg.

(AN- Just to tell you guys, this is not foreshadowing. The only reason I'm adding this is because I have this major test coming up about WWII and big bombs are heavy on the brain.)

"That's just dandy but that has absolutely nothing to do with you putting that clown costume on. I mean, seriously, only scarlet women would go to all that trouble." James said in a patronizing tone.

Lily didn't know whether to laugh or kick him in a very painful spot. So she settled on arguing. "Well, Professor, I'm sure you would know better than anyone wouldn't you? You're a scarlet man if there ever was one!"

James, on the other hand, settled for the laughing. "A scarlet man! Who ever heard of such a thing? Men cannot be scarlet; it's part of their nature to play the field. No one finds anything wrong with that. Besides, part of being a scarlet woman is looking like…well, you. I certainly don't fit the bill."

"Look, why don't we have a truce?" asked Lily. "You give me good grades and no detentions, and I won't spread it around the school that you tried to feel me up or something. Get it? Got it. Good. Now I suppose I'll just be heading off to my common room."

She picked up her bag and breezed over to the door. "Tootles!" she called over her shoulder blowing a kiss to the less-than-amused professor.

"We aren't through yet, Evans!" James whispered to her back.

Lily rolled her eyes as she walked down the hall. Honestly! Who did he think he was? The prime minis—minister of magic? She shook herself slightly at her mistake. Even if it was only in her head if she said something like that out loud she'd be done for. Such muggle things were dirty. But she hadn't been lying when she talked to James—more like yelled—about the atomic bomb. They couldn't defeat Voldemort with magic; he was too strong. But they could kill him in a different way…maybe…she hoped.

Lily's eyes welled up in tears of frustration when she thought of what she had to do with a complete stranger. She was so absorbed with herself that she didn't even notice a certain someone sneaking up behind her.

"Hello my sweet."

She jumped about a mile (not really) into the air and whirled around to face the speaker. When she saw who it was her face burst into a smile while her heart and stomach switched places as if she had just ridden on Splash Mountain.

"Lucious," she said in a cold tone.

"An interesting thing about Hogwarts's wards," the graduated Death Eater said casually, "is that they are very weak when faced by certain people from certain bloodlines."

"Is that so?" she asked in a bored tone. Slytherins didn't show too much emotion even with only their kind about, and Slytherin was what Lily was trying to be.

"There's someone who wants to meet with you. It'll be a few months, but I suggest you prepare yourself for the honor of serving the most powerful being in the world."

The sad part about his speech was that he really believed his words. "I won't be serving him like you Lucious," Lily reminded the man. Malfoy had always protected her and part of her trusted him, even though she knew she shouldn't. It was kind of hard not to when she had been maid of honor at his wedding.

"Yes," he sneered. "I wouldn't mind being in your place. If I was female and that much strength and power was offered to enter me…"

Lily honestly didn't know how she managed not to vomit. "Well, I am looking forward to meeting this man once he arrives, but how is it possible with certain people about?"

"By making certain people unabout, of course," he sneered. "There are many problems our bumbling minister will need assistance from and what better person to call than Albus Dumbledore?"

He slipped under his invisibility cloak and a second later Lily felt strong arms embrace her.

"Hang in there," he whispered. "I know how teenage hormones are hard to keep a lid on, but you will be deflowered soon enough."

And as his footsteps turned the corner at the end of the hall, Lily allowed a tear to escape down her cheek.

Next Morning…

"Oh, Babe, don't stop. That feels so good," James moaned in the early light. He moved his head to allow the tongue better access to his neck. Yeah, you read that right, tongue.

It was a moment before James realized that he hadn't brought anyone home last night, and he couldn't until summer. Celibacy must have been getting to him, he thought. It was a few seconds before he noticed that although he was now awake, his fantasy hadn't stopped. He opened his eyes in confusion.

"SIRIUS ORIAN BLACK! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN MY BED?"

The dog in question grinned wol—no, that's Mooney—doggishly at him before turning into a human.

"Ha ha, Prongsie you should have heard yourself. "_Oh, yeah, Doll. Did I make your dreams come true. You were amazing. I knew a redhead like you'd be a wildcat."_"

"Do you know how disgusting you are? You were licking me. Padfoot, guys don't lick other guys," James said, wiping the dog drool from his face.

"I was a dog, Prongs. You know our animal instincts kind of take over when we transform."

James shrugged and rolled his eyes, telling Sirius in best friend speech that it didn't matter.

"Let's go to breakfast. I'm starving!" Sirius explained halfway out the door.

"Oh so that's why you came! Not to visit me and Mooney, to get food," James laughed.

"I'm a young bachelor who doesn't have a house elf. Who else would feed me?"

James got dressed and the three of them (Remus had joined them) went down to the Great Hall and enjoyed a scrumptious breakfast.

Most of the school was in there eating and no one found it odd that an extra person had been added to the staff table. Sirius Black and James Potter went together like fire and dynamite. And the entire school was waiting for something to explode.

The two teachers and one…umm…not teacher were leaving the hall, when everyone suddenly grew silent. A loud gale of laughter erupted from the Slytherins and was followed by the rest of the school.

The three Marauders looked at one another trying to figure out what was so funny and two of them did.

"What?" James asked annoyed. "Am I missing something?"

"Actually, Prongs," Remus gasped out, "I think you've gained two somethings."

James looked questionably at Sirius. "Look down," was all he managed to say between his laughs.

When James did as he was told he was surprised to find Remus was right: he had gained two somethings. Two somethings that aren't supposed to be on males, were on him, and were very obvious as he was also wearing a tight scarlet dress.

"That's not all of it, Prongsie boy—err girl." Sirius said taking his two-sided mirror out of his pocket.

James grabbed it and looked at what misfortunes had befallen his head. His sexy, messy hair had grown out and was now wavy and stylish—for a girl. Make-up had covered his face, yet it was on so heavily that he looked like someone had taken a paintbrush to him.

Sirius took off a piece of paper that had been taped to his back.

_Shag me! I'm a scarlet woman!_

"Sorry, I think I'll turn you down on that offer, mate, but Snivvy looks mighty interested.

James crumpled up the piece of paper and looked over at the Ravenclaw table.

Once he spotted the smug face he mouthed, _"This means war."_ And an interesting war it would be.

Author's notes: Thank you for the reviews! I know I haven't been good about updating, but is it so bad that I enjoy reading more than writing? I mean, I know what's going to happen in my story. Heck, I even have a sequal planned out! (Though I don't think that'll make it up here.) well, anyway, thanks again. Love you, peace.

P.S. I got my ears pierced!


	9. First Signs of Friends

Green Eyed Shadows

First Signs of Friendship

"So, anyway I was sitting there, doing my business, ya know? And I hear someone come in and wash their hands. Well, this wouldn't normally bother me, but this person—when they left they put all the torches out! Now, what kind of idiot would take the time to put all the torches in a public loo out? So I'm sitting there, in pitch blackness with my pants around my ankles and I'm thinking about how to get out of this mess. Then, I feel around for the toilet paper and pretty soon I'm off feeling the walls trying to find my way out of the place—didn't even manage to find a sink to wash my hands first. But eventually I found the door and got out. It wasn't until I was halfway down the corridor that I realized I could have just used my wand for some light."

James and Remus stared at their friend with open mouths.

"You gonna eat that?" Sirius asked eying Remus's plate of cookies hungrily.

Remus blinked a couple of times, as if clearing out the cobwebs and shook his head. Sirius grabbed the plate excitedly.

"I ask how work is without me and you tell me _that_?" James asked finally.

"Well," Sirius said spraying cookie crumbs across the table, "it happened while I was at work."

James was about to comment when Remus nudged him lightly. "Don't bother. Sirius will always be making connections that normal people couldn't begin to understand. Just let it go and be glad he didn't tell you about the latest muggle soap opera he's watched."

James just nodded then a look of confusion passed his face.

"What?" asked Remus, who read his friends' faces easily.

"Why would anyone make an opera about soap?"

"Never mind," said Remus telling himself he was not surrounded by stupid people, only ignorant ones.

Next Scene—well not necessarily next, but after the one above

James was walking down the halls whistling the Gryffindor fight song to himself when he saw an unpleasant sight. Well, not completely unpleasant. A group of three Slytherin boys had circled around a Gryffindor first year and were taunting her about her red hair. Now, the part of James's mind went straight to _how cruel children can be today!_, but another part went to _oh, look at her kick his shin! Heeheehee, injure the Slytherins!_ He was about to interfere and severely make a dent in Slytherin's amount of points but the Head Girl got there first.

"Hey! Fifteen points from Slytherin. Three on one is an act of cowardice. Now get back to your common room before I take off any more points."

As the boys ran off towards the dungeons the young girl looked at Lily in confusion. "I thought the Slytherins were your friends," she accused.

For a moment Lily didn't answer and James didn't think she was going to, but then, talking in almost a whisper, he heard her.

"I care for them, certainly. But sometimes, even the people closest to you can be led down the wrong path. I guess, you have to put your beliefs before your friends sometimes in order to do what's right.


	10. Coming in from the Cold

Green Eyed Shadows

Coming in From the Cold

Lily sat in the Ravenclaw courtyard and stared at the fluffy snow slowly floating down. Her fingers were the bright red color of blood and her ears felt as though they had been pierced continuously and had no chance of healing, but she didn't want to go inside to retrieve a hat and gloves.

She had just received a letter from Narcissa. In two months the Dark Lord would come to Hogwarts and she was to meet with him so they could consummate their relationship. _What relationship?_ Lily wanted to scream, but knew it would make no difference.

Two months. January. She had until January to do the impossible. For years Dumbledore had tried to find the heir to the Gryffindor line, but apparently they had gone into hiding at some point and no one was aware of what had become of them. Most people suspected that they had died off, but Lily and Dumbledore knew better.

_Well, everyone's going to die off if we don't find him,_ Lily thought to herself miserably. Two months. She watched the white snow appear out of the black, night sky and felt defeat wash over her. It was hopeless. A tear escaped from her eye and she could feel as it fought to turn to ice before falling to the stone bench she sat on.

She was all set for indulging in self pity when the hairs on the back of her neck rose, and it wasn't because of the cold…yet it wasn't unpleasant either, just odd. Oddly…familiar, too. She turned around to see what had caused her discomfort and instead of seeing someone she felt them. Her mind was transported back to when she was a little ten year old playing in her backyard, back before anything had changed.

_Flashback_

_Lily raced through the sprinkler and slid across the wet green grass. She was preparing to do a cartwheel when she one of her buzzies alerted her to a new presence._

"_Hello, Mione. You haven't been around in a while."_

"_Yeah, sorry about that. We've been pretty busy where I come from."_

"_Are you ever going to tell me where that is?" Lily teased._

"_I've told you!" said Mione exasperatedly. "I come from my bed! This is all a dream of mine!"_

"_Sure, well, you sure don't have very exciting dreams," laughed Lily. "Try to dream about castles or fairies or something."_

"_I don't need to dream about those," Mione revealed mysteriously. "Lils, I think I have to tell you something important."_

_Lily sobered quickly. Mione didn't usually act like this. "What's wrong?" she asked._

"_I'm not going to be dreaming about you for a very very long time."_

"_Why not?" Lily asked, worried. Mione was her best friend and usually they met at least three times a week. Lily didn't think she could handle not talking to her only friend._

"_A few reasons," Mione said guiltily. "I have new friends now, and I don't think I'll be able to come anymore. Something let us find each other because we needed a friend, but now, it's telling me to say good bye," she said tearfully._

"_NO! It's not fair! You're my only friend. I still need you!" Lily cried._

"_You'll find new friends. Soon, you'll get a letter just like me, and people will like you for being just the way you are. You'll see."_

"_I'm afraid, Mione. What if I never see you again?"_

_Mione sighed and comforted her friend. "I think we'll see each other again one day," the dreamer confided. "Someday when you have no one else."_

_End Flashback_

"Mione?" Lily whispered.

"Lils?"

"You're here! I don't believe it… why are you here?" Lily asked her childhood friend.

"I—I'm not quite sure. Why were you crying?"

Lily reached up and toughed her wet face. "I wasn't," she fibbed. "It was the cold and snow. I'm fine."

Mione studied her for a moment. "You never used to lie to me. What happened?"

Lily looked down at her feet. "I guess now I'm used to lying to a lot of people, so it's just become a habit."

"You don't need to lie to me."

Lily looked at her friend. Mione didn't appear as an actual physical form, more like a blurred outline of someone, but this was the one person who had known Lily before she had begun to change—known her before becoming the shell that she presented to everyone. "I know," she answered truthfully.

So she told Mione everything. About her dad being killed, coming to Hogwarts, the dreams, and all her fears about what lay in store for her. And Mione listened. She didn't interrupt or try to be helpful with advice; she just listened. And when Lily was done baring her heart she felt better than she had in months. She looked at her friend and smiled. "Thanks," she whispered sincerely.

Mione nodded, knowing she didn't have to respond to her friend's woes (AN what a word, right? _Woes_). She looked over the fallen snow then at her friend, slyly.

"So, what's going on with you?" Lily asked as she turned her head…only to be met in the face with a giant snowball.

Mione burst into laughter. "You little witch!" shrieked Lily gathering up her own snow.

And so they played as Lily had not played for years. When they tired of snowball fights they built a snowman, then made snow angels, then made extravagant fortresses with the help of their wands and then returned to their snowball fight.

It wasn't until the early hours of the morning that Hermione had to wake, and Lily had to return inside. She entered the castle and felt a flood of warmth go through her, odd considering the corridors were usually freezing. She walked down the dark hall trying to silently return to the Heads rooms. She wouldn't get in trouble, but if someone saw her like this, it might bring up awkward questions. She sped up once she neared the rooms and didn't notice someone had been standing there until she bumped into them.

"Oof," she grunted as she fell.

"Well, Miss Evans, seems we always end up on the ground together." James stood up and held out his hand to help Lily to her feet. She placed her hand in his and he pulled back shocked. "Merlin, you're freezing! Have you been outside all night? It's below zero out there." He grabbed her hand again and pulled her up.

"I kind of got distracted," she admitted.

"Come with me. We have to get you warmed up before you catch hypothermia." He put his arm around her and led her to his quarters.

"You don't have to do this, you know," she shivered. "I'm perfectly capable of casting a heating charm."

He rolled his eyes. "A heating charm—or even a warming one—will shock your system. You have to take it slowly."

Lily tried to pull away. "Then how about just go to the hospital wing?" she complained pulling away.

James held tight. "I figured you'd want to return to your own bed as soon as possible, not kept for observation for another week," he explained.

Lily stopped struggling and instead focused on snuggling into his heat. He felt as though he were a seat belt buckle on one of the hottest summer days (AN: don't you hate that?), but Lily knew it must only be because her temperature had sunk so low warm now felt hot.

They stopped at a picture of a griffin and he softly spoke the password: "Gallivant Gryffindors." Lily rolled her eyes at the typicality of his choice.

When lily walked in she was expecting scarlet and gold to cover the whole room, but she was surprised to find warm browns and blues and creams. She found it surprisingly welcoming.

He sat her down on the plush couch and set about gathering potions and a few large bowls.

Lily felt as though she was watching the whole scene take place away from her body. It registered that James had knelt down and removed her socks and shoes, but it seemed so surreal that it felt as though it was happening to another person. He placed her hands and feet in different bowls and poured in a warm bubbling potion that seemed to seep into her bloodstream. After a while—she couldn't even begin to guess at how much time had passed—he took the bowls away and wrapped her in a blanket.

Her eyes began to itch and she fought a loosing battle to keep her eyelids open. She felt the weight shift on the couch as James began to get up and a strange fear shot through her: fear? cold? loneliness? She didn't know, but whatever it was it hadn't been there when James was on the couch.

"Please," she whispered, "stay with me."

He settled back down onto the couch and wrapped his arm around her. "Of course," he breathed into her hair. "I'd never leave you alone. I'll keep you warm."

A/N: Hey, I'm back! It's been over a year but the writer has finally returned. This chapter goes out to Annie and Jennifer, the only two friends of mine that know I have a story on the site. To Annie especially for bugging me this past year to update. Love you all and hope you liked it. REVIEW!!!


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